Maritime Security

• Main Author: Percy, Sarah
• Other Authors: Gheciu, Alexandra, Wohlforth, William C.
• Format: Book Part
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford University Press 2018
• Subjects: Arctic; Northwest Passage; Northwest passage; Sea ice
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198777854.013.40

From China’s claims in the South China Sea and its dispute with Japan over Senkaku Island to Canada’s concerns over melting sea ice in the Northwest Passage and how best to secure its Arctic region, maritime security issues rest at the heart of many core strategic disputes. Maritime insecurity can also take unconventional forms, stemming from criminal threats at sea that can have an impact upon national security. Both challenges have a long history, and both intersect the crucial issues or rules, order, and ungoverned spaces. this chapter examines this nexus of challenges, providing the analytical tools needed to forecast what is and is not likely to change. The chapter concludes by considering the relationship between continuity, change, and contingency in the future of maritime security.